Biodegradable Toothpicks: What Happens to a Used Pick

When you finish a Stokes pick, you throw away a toothpick. That is all. Here is why that matters and how it compares with other nicotine products.

Wood breaks down

A Stokes pick is American white birch. Wood is made of cellulose and lignin, the same things as leaves and twigs. In soil or compost, fungi and bacteria break it down. A thin toothpick is gone in months.

The nicotine, organic flavor, monk fruit and vegetable glycerin are mostly used up by the time you are done. What is left is wood.

What other products leave behind

Nicotine pouches. A used pouch goes in the trash. So does the plastic can and lid it came in.

Vapes. A disposable vape is plastic, metal and a lithium battery. Pods are plastic and metal. Batteries should not go in the regular trash, but most do.

Cigarettes. Filters are a plastic fiber and are one of the most common pieces of litter in the world.

Plastic toothpicks. Many flavored toothpicks are plastic. They do not break down.

What a Stokes pack comes in

A flat, resealable pack of 16 picks. There is no can, no device and no battery.

Why we chose birch

We wanted a product with nothing to plug in and nothing to throw away but the pick. White birch is light, smooth, does not splinter easily and holds flavor well. It grows in managed forests in the United States. Read more in our guide to American white birch.

How to throw one away

A used pick can go in the trash or in a compost bin. Do not leave it where a child or a pet could pick it up. A used pick still has a small amount of nicotine in it.

A reminder

Nicotine is an addictive chemical. Stokes picks are for adults 21 and over who already use nicotine.

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